Within the past year I have developed an appreciation for Puritan spirituality, due to its emphasis on Christ and the Word. I began reading Puritan writings in Dr. Barry Raper’s course Reading the Pastoral Classics at Welch College. Several other mentors have encouraged my reading of the Puritans. In this post I will briefly highly my exposure to the Puritans. In the next post I will highlight some commendable characteristics of Puritan Spirituality. I hope you will begin to appreciate Puritan spirituality as much as I do!

Key Influencers

Dr. Barry Raper receives credit for first exposing me to Puritan writings. He required us to read The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes. This short book references Isaiah 42:1-3, which finds fulfillment in Jesus in Matthew 12:18-20 according to Sibbes. You  would benefit by stopping to read those passages before you read further. Sibbes reminds his reader that Christ does not quench the bruised reed, nor does he quench the smoking flax. This truth encourages the believer and challenges the minister. Christ doesn’t give up on those who are at their wits end. Faithfulness to Christ requires us to love people and not give up on them even when they are at their wits end. We were there before Christ rescued us. This alone compels me to read Sibbes’ writings.

Dr. Matthew Pinson, president of Welch College, also exposed me to Puritan writings throughout my studies in Free Will Baptist History. As Free Will Baptists we trace our heritage to both the Palmer movement in the South and the Randall movement in the north. Palmer had been influenced by the General Baptists (the first baptists), who were directly influenced by the Puritans. One prominent General Baptist Theologian, Thomas Grantham, has been studied extensively by Pinson, along with Thomas Helwys and others. Anyway, my course readings exposed me broadly to Puritan writings. Here are three influential selections from our required reading list: (focusing on the Puritans) 1. History of the English General Baptists by Adam Taylor, 2. The Worship of the English Puritans by Horton Davies, and 3. Renaissance and Reformation by William Estep.

Brother Eric Brown also encouraged my reading of the Puritans. He pastors Pine Level Free Will Baptist in Alma, Georgia. During the summer of 2015 I was privileged to serve as an intern at Pine Level. Pastor Eric shared The Valley of Vision with me. We used this resource during our weekly meetings and we incorporated Puritan prayers into our services.(It’s okay to read prayers from the Pulpit. Especially when they are as biblical as Puritan prayers!) The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. If you do not own this helpful resource, go to the link above and buy it. You will not regret making this purchase! We also read The Reformed Pastor together. Brother Eric has an entire section devoted to Puritan writings, which he made available to me while I served alongside him. While in Grand Rapids, MI for the National Convention, we visited Puritan Reformed Seminary and bookstore. (I’m not confessing how much I spent at the bookstore.)

Other honorable mentions: Each week I listen to some helpful podcasts including Mortification of Spin, Christ the Center, and Truth for Life (Alistair Begg). Various Puritan references abound in these podcasts.

My love for the Puritans and their writings continues to grow. I have several new primary source writings on my “to read” list. In this post I wanted to acknowledge those who have exposed me to the Puritans. In my next post I will explore some commendable characteristics of Puritan spirituality.